A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! :D
"So, let me get this straight," Tommy looked at Ace, sitting across from him in his mother's living room. "You're asking me, if I can get you some knockout gas, a map of the Townsville Prison, and five stoptimer watches?"
"Look Tom, I know it sounds weird. But I owe one of my buddies a solid and this is really important to him. And if there's anyone I know who can get us the stuff we need, it's you."
Tommy sighed, looking at him with a pained look. As Ace looked around the living room, he shifted his weight on the flowery loveseat across from the couch where his friend was sitting. Even though he'd never admit it, this room always gave him the creeps. Whether it was the frilly doilies put over any and every flat surface, the soulless eyes of Tommy's mother's porcelain doll collection staring back at him in the corner, or the ancient, scrawny hairless cat that hissed at him whenever he came within five feet of it, it always made him uneasy.
"Ace, I don't know what you're planning, and frankly I don't want to know. Hell, I almost didn't even let you in here with the cops looking after you and all. My uncle's a cop, and he doesn't visit often, but if he did-"
"Come on man, don't pussy out on me now," Ace pleaded. He gave Tommy a smile that knew could put anyone at ease. "I won't tell you anythin' except what you absolutely have to know. That way if we got busted, you'll have plausible deniability. I just need you to tell me if you can get me the stuff, and how soon. Then I'll get out of your hair and won't ever bother you again, if that's what you want."
Tommy hesitated. "And you promise you won't rat me out? Even if the cops start talking jail time?"
"Hey, do I look like a rat to you?"
Tommy just raised an eyebrow at him.
"I won't rat you out, okay?" Ace said, rolling his eyes. "I swear on my mother's grave."
Tommy put his head in his hand, and ran his fingers through his thin hair. "It won't come cheap," he said. "My guy is good, reliable, but he costs a pretty penny. Even if I could get you everything you need, I don't know how you're gonna pay for it, especially since you're out of a job."
"You just leave that to me," Ace said. "We came into some extra money recently. Sal of all people has been feelin' pretty generous these days."
"Sal!?" Tommy barked out a laugh. "You're shitting me, right?"
"You'd be surprised what people are willin' to do to keep their skeletons firmly in the closet."
"Do I want to know?"
"I would. It's pretty damn funny, if you ask me."
Tommy looked torn, as if he couldn't decide if he should ask for more details or leave it alone.
"Okay, tell you what. If you're able to do whatever you need to do and not get arrested, you can tell me all about it."
"Hey Papi," Arturo greeted his father on the phone. He twisted the cord in nervousness.
"Mijo! It's good to hear from you again," his father said. "I've been so worried. Is it true that your friends vandalized that store? I've heard they have warrants out for their arrest."
"Well, actually-"
"I told you those two were bad influences. You guys had a good thing going, and then they went ahead and ruined it. I know you don't want to hear this, but I think it's about time you moved out on your own and cut ties. Those guys will only bring you down."
"Look Papi," Arturo said. "I'm alright. They're alright. They just got a little drunk and did something stupid. But I talked to them, and they both promised they're going to start working to get themselves back on the right track. But I didn't call you to talk about Ace and Snake," he said. "I know we don't have our next scheduled visit until a month from now, but I thought it might be nice to push it forward a bit. Are you available this weekend?"
"For you? Of course I am," his father said, surprised. "You know I love to see you, but why do you want to come so soon? Are you sure everything is alright?"
"Everything is perfect, Papi," Arturo said. "I just really miss you. And I want to be with you as soon as possible."
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Snake asked. "I mean, what do we even know about this guy besides that he works for Tommy?"
"Calm down, it's going to be fine," Ace said. "I know you don't think much of good ol' Tom, but when it comes to this stuff, he knows what he's talkin' about. If Tommy says he's the real deal, then he's the real deal."
"He better be," Snake said. He started pacing back and forth in the dark alleyway. "We're giving him nearly every cent we have."
"Listen to me," Ace put his arm around Snake, stopping him mid pacing. "This is all gonna work out. As long as none of us chicken out. And if we did, Arturo would never forgive us. Poor guy is the only one of us with living, half-way decent parents and he spent half his life not even being able to see them. I promised him I'd get him his old man back, and so did you. That's not somethin' you want to go back on."
"I'm not going to chicken out," Snake said, looking at Ace as if he were insulted by the idea. "But we're not going to get very far if this turns out to be an elaborate scam-"
"You? You're the ones who wanted to buy all of this suspicious equipment?"
Both Ace and Snake froze when they saw the familiar, short, dome-shaped headed silhouette, flanked by two large men on either side.
"Mojo?!" Ace exclaimed. "You're Tommy's guy?"
"Tommy's guy?" Mojo sneered. "No, that is unfactual, not true, absolutely ridiculous. A sapient creature of my intellect would never stoop so low as to work for such an idiot, a moron, and a nincompoop." He stepped out into the glow of the streetlight, revealing his face in full.
"No, Tommy works for me, not the other way around. It is I who is in charge of this arrangement, not he."
"How the hell do you know Tommy?"
"A few years ago, I put out an ad in the newspaper requesting the assistance of a bodyguard after I had the last one vaporized. He was the only one who responded," he said, his eyes narrowing. "He was horrible at it. Any time the Powerpuff Girls or the police showed up, he ran away screaming like a little girl. If it was not for the fact that he proved himself to be a better business ally than a bodyguard, I would have vaporized him as well after his first show of cowardice."
At the mention of vaporization, the two guards by Mojo exchanged a glance, stepping away slightly from the big brained simian.
"Huh," Ace said appreciatively. "Never knew Tommy was so high up."
"Ace," Snake whispered. "Don't you think we're getting a little off track here?"
"The reptilian one is right," Mojo said. "I was promised a total of three grand for my services. That is three with three zeroes, one thousand times three, or one hundred times thirty. And I expect to be given it immediately."
"Three grand?!" Ace exclaimed. "Tommy told me you wanted two!"
"Hmm yes, but I don't like you. You and your juvenile delinquent friends always got on my nerves with your childish antics. Don't think I forgot about all those prank calls."
"Mojo, come on, that was years ago. How do you expect us to come up with an extra grand on the spot?"
"If you do not have what I asked for, then we do not have a deal, and this has been a waste of my time. Sebastian, Javier, take me home. I have some light reading I would like to catch up on before bed."
As Mojo and his security guards started to walk away, Ace spoke up.
"Wait!" he said. When the three turned around, Ace felt theirs, and Snake's eyes on him.
"We'll get you the extra cash," he said. "After you finish your end of the bargain."
Mojo raised an eyebrow at him, and laughed. "What do you take me for, a fool?" He shook his head. "As soon as I give you what you want, what reason will you have to honor your part?"
"We could ask you the same about the cash. You and your goons could take off as soon as we pay ya," Ace pointed it out. "How is it fair we have to prove ourselves, but you don't have to prove jack squat?"
"I'm Mojo Jojo, evil genius extraordinaire and a miracle of science," he grinned, revealing his mouth of pointy teeth. "I don't play fair."
"Yeah? Well I'm Ace Copular, leader of the Gangreen Gang," he countered. "And I'm the reason the Powerpuff Girls are stuck at home right now doing god knows what instead of beating your ass senseless."
Mojo laughed. "You expect me to believe you, some washed-up former, wannabe gangster, are the reason for the Powerpuff's downfall? When your definition of 'criminal behavior' is prank calls and robbing gas stations?"
"Why don't you ask your old friend, HIM about it?"
At the mention of the demon, Mojo froze. There was a shocked silence that spread across the group that lasted for a few moments.
"You've been in contact with His Infernal Majesty?" Mojo asked, all humor out of his voice.
"That's right. He trusted me enough to get the job done, and that's exactly what I did. And if I can figure out how to make the Powerpuffs powerless, I can sure as hell get you a thousand bucks."
"If that's true," Mojo said. "Then explain to me exactly how you did it."
"A little potion the Prince of Darkness himself gave to me," Ace said, smirking with his arms crossed. "Slid it into their food on their birthday at Si Senorita's."
Mojo scoffed. "Please. That theory the news has been peddling for weeks? Those idiot reporters even think I was the one who did it. Which, I can't deny has been doing wonders for my reputation," he sighed. "But sadly it is a lie. Anyone with one quarter of a brain could figure out it was due to their inferior DNA. They've been getting weaker for months."
"Yeah, but it does seem awfully weird that it was so gradual, and then all of the sudden they lost all their powers overnight, all at the exact same time," Ace pointed out. "Maybe someone knew what was happenin' and just decided to speed things up a little. Make it so it would stick."
Mojo looked as if he was considering it for a moment, before eventually hitting Ace and Snake both with a hard look.
"You will give me what you have now, and in turn I will give you what I promised," he said. "You will do whatever you need to do with it, and you will come to my lair and hand deliver me two grand."
"Now you want two extra grand?"
"Consider it interest," he said. "Do we have a deal, or do we not?"
"Yeah, we got a deal," Ace said. "On one condition."
Mojo narrowed his eyes. "You have already wasted enough of my time-"
"With Arturo occupied, me, Snake and Billy are gonna be stuck doing most of the work ourselves," Ace said. "Billy is strong, Snake is stealthy, and I'm not too shabby myself, but still. It's gonna be a lot for a three man job. I'll give you the extra money, if you can loan me out some of your goons, that would make the job a lot cleaner."
Mojo snorted. "That's going to cost you more than an extra two thousand dollars."
"After we do my friend this solid and break his old man out of the slammer on Saturday, we're gonna be settin' our sights on some big jobs and gettin' our hands on some major dough. And that could mean a lot of dough for you. All you gotta do is contact any of your guys at the local prison; inmates, guards, I don't care, and get them to wipe any security tapes and evidence, and stop anyone from messin' with us. Anyone and everyone, unless they have green skin or their name is Macho Arturo. Me and my guys will do the rest," Ace looked in thought for a moment before he added on.
Well, we could also use a place to lay low at when the cops come lookin' for us. After what we're plannin' there's gonna be a manhunt, and I'd rather not make it to easy for them."
"This money you speak of…" Mojo considered Ace's words. "You guarantee you will be successful in retrieving it?"
"I learned from Sedusa, the master herself."
"Very well. I will do as you asked for an even fifteen grand." Mojo conceded. "But if you do not follow my instructions exactly as I layed out, by the letter, precisely as I professed-"
"Yeah yeah, get on with it."
Mojo shot Ace a glare, who then wisely shut his mouth.
"Then I will make it my life's mission to not only go after you, but all of your friends, family, loved ones, and acquaintances. I do not expect you to have many people you care about or who care about you, but if you do, I will find them and destroy them all in front of you. Slowly, and painfully."
"Ace," Snake whispered. "Maybe we should talk to the others about this first-"
"We don't have time. Arturo's already got his visit set up. We gotta do this thing fast."
"Do we have a deal?"
"Yeah yeah, we got a deal," Ace reached out his hand. "Wanna shake on it?"
"Mojo does not 'shake' in any sense. But your acceptance of my terms and conditions is noted. Sebastian, Javier, give them their ill gotten goods."
As his and Ace's hands were soon filled with several very large, heavy briefcases, Snake's protests went, once again, ignored.
As Arturo waited in his usual spot for his father, he looked down at the stopwatch Ace had given him before the visit.
"Your visit starts at three, and those prison guard types always have a stick up their ass about punctuality, so it's a good bet he'll be out at three on the dot," he told him. "As soon as you see your old man, set your watch for fifteen minutes. That's when I'm gonna make my grand entrance, and as soon as things start gettin' crazy the cops are gonna start tryin' to round up the inmates and take 'em back. You grab him the minute it happens and do whatever you gotta do to get the hell out of there. I set it up so you'll have some outside help."
The guards had questioned him about the watch when he arrived, knowing him well enough by now that the accessory was odd for him. He brushed them off, feeding them some story about how he was taking up weightlifting and used it to keep track of how long he could go for at a time.
Just as Ace promised, his watch hit three o'clock, and his father walked into the visitation room, flanked by a security guard.
"Mijo," his father greeted him. "It's nice to see you again so soon."
"Thanks, Papi. I'm really glad I could be here today."
His father smiled, before his eyes turned toward his wrist.
"Cool watch, it looks expensive. You didn't spend too much money on it, did you?"
"I didn't spend a dime! It was a gift."
"A gift, huh?" His father waggled his eyebrows. "You don't happen to have gotten yourself a lady friend, have you?"
Arturo couldn't help but to laugh at that. As much as he knew his father wished for him to find a "nice girl" and settle down, he knew that point was far, far into his future, if at all. It's not that he was against the idea, but living with three other guys in a tiny apartment made it hard to do much more than have the occasional one night stand.
"No Papi, I don't have no lady friend. It was a gift from Ace."
"Ace?" his father's expression immediately soured. "I told you, I don't trust that guy. More likely than not, he's just trying to butter you up after his and the tall skinny one's 'drunken night out.' Don't fall for it Mijo."
"Papi," Arturo said, tired. "I told you I don't want to talk about my friends today. I want to talk about you."
"Me?" his father raised his eyebrows. "What about me?"
"I miss you," Arturo said, reaching for his father's hand and ignoring the dirty look the prison guard was shooting him.
"I want to be able to see you whenever I want. I want us to go to baseball games and watch movies, and go out to the bars. I want us to be able to do anything, anywhere other than here. To have a real father son relationship."
"Oh Mijo," his father said, his dark brown eyes wide. "Why do you have to make me sad? Don't you think I want that too? Do you think I'm in here because I like it?" He shook his head. "No, I'd walk right out that door the moment I could. But we both have to accept that day is not gonna happen for a very long time."
Arturo looked down at his watch. Seven minutes left.
"Maybe it won't be as long as you think," he said. "After all, you never know what's going to happen. Maybe we'll get lucky for once."
His father shot him a suspicious look. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"All I'm saying is that the future is unpredictable. I know you never put much stock into it, but Mami always said that we have someone watching over us. Maybe they're finally coming to help us."
"Okay Mijo, now you're scaring me. I don't appreciate being lied to, and you've never been good at keeping secrets. So please, if you have something you need to tell me, just tell me."
As he and his father continued to argue, Arturo felt his leg bouncing under the table, and once again looked down at his watch. Five minutes.
"Just… trust me on this Papi. I will explain everything in detail as soon as I can. I promise. And as soon as I do, remember what you just said a minute ago."
"What I said?" he asked. "About what? And why do you keep looking at your watch, are you running late for something?"
"How about let's go get a snack from the vending machine, my treat," Arturo ignored his father's confusion and made eye contact with the prison guard nearest to him. He gestured over toward the vending machine in the corner of the room by the door in question, and the guard nodded.
As Arturo and his father got up and he pulled out his wallet, his father shook his head.
"I've never seen you act so strange before. I don't know what you're planning, but I have a bad feeling about it."
"Trust me," Arturo said as he took out a dollar bill, and slid it into the machine. "Do you want Doritos or Cheetos?"
"I don't care about food right now!" His father snapped, attracting the attention of several guards nearby. "Just tell me what's going on!"
"Keep your voice down!" Arturo said in a hushed voice.
"Don't tell me to keep my voice down! You're up to something and as your father I demand to know what it is!"
"Just give me a second-"
Before Arturo could finish his sentence, a loud, high pitched alarm sounded through the room. Several of the guards paused as they took a call from their walkie talkies.
"Okay everyone, visiting hours are over! Every prisoner in this room must form a single file line by the door immediately!" One of the security guards called out.
"What the hell?" his father asked. He looked at his son in question, who grabbed his hand.
"When I say go, we go," Arturo said.
"Mijo, what have you done?"
"Do you mean it when you said you'd walk out that door the first chance you got?"
"I-" His father gave him a look that he couldn't place, and then all of the sudden, a pale looking gas began to leak through the vents. Immediately, Arturo reached behind the vending machine and pulled out two masks.
"Put this on," he told his father as he pulled his own over his face. Thankfully, he did as he was asked
In that waiting room, a few of the prisoners pulled on masks as the rest of the room looked around in confusion and fear.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Are we being attacked?"
"Is there some sort of gas leak?"
The first to drop on the ground was one of the smaller security guards, but she was far from the last.
"Now! We have to go now!" Arturo said, pulling himself up and his father with him toward the door.
"It's locked, Mijo."
"Not for long," Arturo got to work on picking the lock, looking back every now and then to see if anyone was about to stop them.
"Cover me, okay?"
It only took him a few minutes to get the door unlocked, even with the confusion and screaming behind him.
"You!" Arturo heard behind him. He turned toward the direction of the voice, and saw it was the same guard who always gave him and his father hell for any and every slight bending of a rule.
His eyes were hazy, and he was barely holding his weight up by leaning on the table.
"It was you! I always… I always knew you both were trouble, ever since I saw ya. You and your… gang of green people," he slurred, making a disgusted face. He turned toward his father. "And you for sneakin' into this… this great country my ancestors built, only to sell drugs and kill people. I knew what you both were, right from the start."
"Yeah, you're a real Einstein, man. I'm happy you got to be proven right one last time." Arturo opened the door. "Sweet dreams."
As the man dropped to the ground, the gas winning out over his will, Snake dropped himself out of the ceiling from the air vent, covered in dirt and dust.
"All clear," Snake shot him a thumbs up and what appeared to be a smile beneath his mask. "Now let's get the hell out of here."
When Ace had walked into the local prison, announced who he was, and told the cops he was surrendering himself over, they were more than a little taken off guard.
"Are you high, son?" One of the cops who looked to be somewhere in his sixties, asked him incredulously.
"No officer, I'm clean as a whistle. You can even test me if you'd like."
"I might take you up on that offer," he said. "Ever since I've met you, you've never once voluntarily turned yourself in. Is there any particular reason why this time is different?"
"I just don't want this warrant thing hangin' over my head, I suppose. So I figured I'd do you folks a solid and give myself over, save us all a little time. I know youse guys are busy men, especially with the Powerpuff Girls out of commission, now."
The officer narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I don't know what you're up to this time, Copular, but you best know that whatever it is, it ain't gonna work. You're in our house now."
"No tricks, just treats. Now come on, I'm startin' to get bored with all this chit chat. Are we doin' this, or should I just go home?"
"You wish," the officer barked out a laugh. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and walked toward Ace, pulling his hands behind his back. "Ace Copular, you are under arrest. Everything you say can and will be held against you…"
As the officer droned on, Ace tapped his foot three times, the signal he had given Billy. A few moments after, the green giant came out of his hiding spot and busted through the doors. Before any of the cops could move to stop him he knocked each and everyone out in his way with a punch to the head. As soon as the cops were out, Ace reached down into the one who arrested him's pocket and pulled out the key, freeing his wrists. The lady at the front desk screamed in horror at the attack, and immediately pressed the alarm button on her desk. She reached for her walkie talkie.
"Code red! Code red!" She yelled, panicked. "Ace and Big Billy from the Gangreen Gang broke in!"
"Come on man, we don't got much time," Ace turned toward Billy. "Snake will be dropping those smoke bombs any moment! You got the masks?"
"Masks?" Billy asked.
"Yes! The masks! The only thing that's gonna stop us from droppin on the ground and spendin' the next thirty years in this hellhole!"
"Oh! Those masks!" Billy laughed. He pulled out two pieces of fabric from his back pocket, stuck together with gum.
"Uh, Billy," Ace asked, holding them out at a distance in disgust. "Why do they got gum on them?"
"Because Billy always keeps his gum in his pocket for safe keeping!"
"Ugh," Ace pulled them apart, handing the other to Billy and doing his best to get the gum off of his own. "Whatever. Just put it on and let's go!"
As the two gangsters walked past the receptionist, Ace winked at her.
"Ah Meredith, long time no see! Love what you did with your hair. Would you be a doll and tell us where the visiting room is?"
"It-It's 22b," she stuttered out.
"Thanks, toots! Well until next time," he drummed on her desk in goodbye, and with Billy behind him he rushed towards his friend.
As Snake slithered through the air vents, he couldn't stop himself from sneezing every few seconds.
"God, would it kill them to clean thessse every now and then?" he hissed to himself through his mask. On the rare times he'd hear himself slip up and hiss, he felt embarrassed, but at the moment he was more focused on not getting caught and spending god knows how many years locked up. Or not getting stuck in these super small air vents that he had to crawl on his belly to fit through. With Arturo occupied and him being the second smallest (and thinnest) member of the gang, the job fell to him.
He looked at the stopwatch Ace had given him, along with the rough map they were able to get from Mojo Jojo. Per instruction, he was supposed to drop a smoke bomb filled with knockout gas every two minutes at every room he stopped by, saving the visitation room for last. He was at his second to last stop, dropping the bomb, and not sticking around long enough to hear the confused chatter and then the alarm, followed by the silence.
For the entire day, he tried his best to focus on the mission and not on the deal Ace made with Mojo. When he confronted Ace about it at home later, he dismissed him.
"You're worryin' for nothin' man, we're gonna get the money no problem," he said. "And besides, even if we don't; who's Mojo gonna go after? Who do we have outside the Gang that we give a shit about?"
"Arturo has his father, for one," Snake pointed out. "And even still, you think it's okay if Mojo comes after us?" He intentionally didn't mention his sister, and definitely not his parents. He knew Ace wouldn't understand the difference between 'being on bad terms' and 'not wanting to see them tortured and killed in front of you.'
"I didn't say that. Besides, he was just tryin' to scare us. No way he cares enough about us to hunt down anyone and everyone we ever knew."
At the buzz from his watch, Snake was pulled out of his thoughts, and back to the task at hand.
When he finally stopped above the visitation room, he looked through the vent, keeping his eyes out specifically for Arturo and his father.
"When I say go, we go," Snake recognized Arturo's hushed, anxious voice. His eyes turned toward the source of the sound, and saw his friend over in the corner, talking to an older, much taller man that Snake knew was his father from the pictures he had seen.
"Mijo, what have you done?"
"Do you mean it when you said you'd walk out that door the first chance you got?"
"I-"
At that point, Snake felt his watch vibrate, and quickly reached over to shut it off. It was time.
Snake dropped the final smoke bomb and watched as Arturo reached over towards the hiding spot for the masks, giving one to his father.
As Arturo tried to explain to his father what was going on and the room descended into chaos, Snake pulled out a screwdriver and got to work on pulling out the vent cover as quickly and silently as possible.
He watched in silence as Arturo worked at picking the lock of the door and argued with one of the security guards. As soon as Arturo swung the door open and the last guard fell to the ground, Snake opened the vent and let himself drop down.
"All clear," he shot the two a thumbs up, ignoring the gobsmacked expression on Arturo's father's face. "Now let's get the hell out of here."
As the three rushed out the door, ignoring any unconscious bodies in their way, Snake felt Arturo's father's eyes on him.
"You're one of Arturo's friend's, right? Snake?"
"At your service."
"Can you please tell me what the hell is going on? Those people back there… they're not- they're not dead, are they?"
"Of course not Papi. Who do you think I am?"
"Well I don't know Mijo, when I see a mysterious gas leaking through the vents and you shoving a mask on my face, you have to admit it looks suspicious."
"We can talk about it later, but right now we should be focusing on finding Ace and Billy and getting out-"
Before Snake was able to finish his sentence he ran face first into Billy, and crashed to the ground.
"Hi!" Billy cheered, smiling through his mask. "Billy and Ace were looking for you guys!"
"Yeah, glad to see you all made it out in one piece," Ace stared down at Snake, looking amused at his state. "You got a bit of dirt on ya man. Just in case you didn't notice."
"I noticed," he deadpanned.
"Yeah yeah, alright. All the guards are out cold, but we only got a few minutes before they wake up again and start shooting our asses with bullet holes. The front door's open. Come on, follow me."
As the five rushed to make their exit, Ace paused, stopping in front of one of the unconscious officers.
"Ace?" Snake asked, confused.
"Just a minute," he reached down and pulled out the officer's gun out of its holster. "This might come in handy."
"What do you need with a gun?!" Snake asked, panicked. "We're almost out! We gotta go!"
"Hey, you never know when one of these bad boys might come in handy," he said, cocking the gun in his hand. He gestured toward the other unconscious cop next to him. "Any of youse guys want one?"
"Ugh," the cop who's gun Ace stole started to shift. "Where am I?"
"No! Ace come on! Stop playing games and get the fuck out!"
"Aw come on, he don't even know where he's at-"
"Now!"
Ace rolled his eyes. "Fine, he said. He followed the other four as they ran out the door, making as much distance between them and the prison as possible. As soon as they were outside, they each pulled off their masks, and took a deep breath of fresh air.
"Now that we're no longer running for our lives," Arturo's father spoke up, panting. "Would someone please tell me what the hell that was?" His eyes zeroed in on Ace specifically. "Whatever it was, I know you were the one who came up with it. You're Ace, right? I recognize you from your mugshot."
"Well damn, I hope it was one of the good ones," he said. "Those bastards always liked to take them right after we got our asses pummeled into the ground."
He looked at him, unamused. "My son has told me a lot about you, and your friends. I don't know why you just broke me out of prison or what for, but I don't appreciate you roping him into it with you. You just bought him and yourselves years behind bars with me."
"Aww come on Macho," Ace grinned. "Is that any way to talk to the guy who just handed you freedom on a silver platter?"
As the five men all were stuck in the tiny, one bedroom apartment Mojo had set up for them to hide out in, Snake tried his best to ignore the cacophony around him by turning his attention toward the TV.
"Do you have any idea what you've done to my son?! To me? When the cops catch us the first thing they're going to do is lock him up!"
"No offense man, but you sound pretty ungrateful to the people who just broke you out of prison. What, were you looking forward to spending the rest of your life showerin' and shittin' with no doors for all the perverts to see?"
"I'd rather be locked up forever than see the same happen to my son!" Arturo's father yelled. "You just ruined his life!"
"C'mon Papi, I just wanted us to be a family again. I couldn't stand to see you locked up in there. My friends were just trying to help, and they sacrificed a lot-"
"Trust me Mijo, that idiota egoísta wouldn't do nothing for nobody unless there's something in it for him."
"You don't even know him, Papi!"
Snake sighed as he turned up the volume, and switched the channel when the sitcom he was watching went to commercial break. He stopped on Channel 4, when he recognized his sister's face, sitting beside Mrs. Carlson.
"Ms. Ingleberry, I can't say I expected to see you again so soon," she greeted. "Just the other day I was at your father's company interviewing you and your family."
"Yes, that's right," Ivy said. "But some of the information you were given, specifically by my father, was inaccurate and I wanted to clear the air."
With everything going on, Snake didn't even know his parents and sister had been on the news, or what they had said. As bad as they had left things off, he felt himself lean in towards the TV, anxious to see what Ivy had to say.
"Oh really?" Mrs. Carlson leaned in toward Ivy. "Well, we are all about the truth here on Channel 4, of course. Tell me, what secrets is your father keeping? Is it an affair? Are Ingleberry Phones all going to give us cancer?"
"Neither of those things would surprise me, frankly, but no. It's about my brother," Ivy's expression turned solemn.
"My father, Charles Ingleberry, came here on live television for one reason and one reason only; to smooth over his own reputation after my brother was accused of vandalization. He spun a narrative, that he was a kind, loving family man who got stuck with an ungrateful son who fell into a life of crime despite his best efforts. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ever since I could remember, my father never liked my brother. Whether it was because of his green skin, his lisp, or… something else I don't feel comfortable sharing without his consent, my father regularly abused my brother, his son, physically, mentally, and emotionally."
She turned to look directly at the camera. "Many of you folks at home only know the name Sanford Ingleberry due to his association with the Gangreen Gang, but I can tell you right now he never would've joined a gang or fell under their influence, if it wasn't for his home life."
"I see," Mrs. Carlson said, taken slightly aback. "So, you're saying Charles Ingleberry isn't the man we all thought he was?"
Ivy shook her head. "No, and I'm not innocent either. I regret to say that most of what I saw happen growing up, I thought was normal. That my father was just trying to protect our family's reputation by keeping him at home when he had meetings with important business people, even when he brought my mother and I along. Or that he was teaching him a lesson by locking him in his room for weeks, refusing to speak to him or for anyone else to, either. It broke my heart, but my parents convinced me I was just being sensitive. I know now that's not the case."
"The truth on why Snake left home, is that he was manipulated by Ace, leader of the Gangreen Gang. But I know he would've come home in an instant, if only our parents accepted him back. Instead, when they found him, dirty and living on the streets, my father disowned him on the spot, leaving his twelve year old son homeless, sobbing, and with no one to look after him. So before you judge my brother for his past, ask yourselves; do you have the whole story? Couldn't you have fallen into the same lifestyle as Snake, if your parents treated you that way? If someone persuasive enough convinced you to?"
On the set, there were a few moments of silence. Snake felt frozen in place, the arguing that bothered him so much just a few minutes ago not even registering in his brain.
No, this couldn't be real. He had to be dreaming. Ivy… Ivy would never…
"Well, that was certainly a lot to take in," Mrs. Carlson said, finally. "While I can't say I approve of your brother's actions, your father seems to have a dark side I never would've imagined." She leaned in again, about to ask Ivy a question.
"And speaking of your father," she started. "I can't imagine he'll be too happy to hear about you airing out all his dirty laundry on live television. How do you think this will affect your relationship, both professional and personal, going forward?"
"I don't," Ivy said. "Because I quit Ingleberry Industries, and I'm disowning my father."
PPGGuy06: Yeah, poor Princess :/ As spoiled as she is, I always got the feeling from Bought and Scold that her father wasn't as easygoing as he appears at first. The moment she does something that affects him is when he starts to get nasty.
Anon: No apologies needed lol, it brought me great joy to write! And yeah, I think Ivy saw a lot of both herself and her brother in Princess, and it kind of awoke this rebellious part of her. She's doing what she wished she had done all those years ago.
GGG fan: What a cool coincidence! Happy belated birthday :D
Visitor: She's finally taking matters into her own hands, and I for one couldn't be more proud lol
Thanks again to everyone reading this story! Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think! :D
